Kazakh citizens have visa-free access to 41 countries, according to the Global Passport Power Rank, which placed Kazakhstan in 54th place among 199 countries, with a mobility score of 94.
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As stated by Kazinform, China holds a similar position, while Russia, with a stronger freedom of movement indicator of 127, is ranked 40th among neighboring countries. In Central Asia, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic are ranked 76th, and Tajikistan – 72th.
Over the past ten years, Kazakh citizens gained access to over 30 new visa-free countries. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports listed 81 countries, including visa-free destinations and those offering visas on arrival. Meanwhile, six more agreements await implementation.
Among the countries offering the longest visa-free stay to Kazakh citizens, Georgia tops the list, allowing up to one year of residency. Armenia, Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines permit stays of up to 180 days, while nearly 15 other countries, including Russia, Türkiye, Mongolia, Albania, and Moldova, offer a 90-day visa-free period. Hong Kong, Iran, and Oman provide shorter stays of up to 14 days without a visa.
Every year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs works proactively to improve the status of the Kazakh passport. Kuanysh Zhaikov, the economist and head of the DESHT Institutional Transformation Group analytical center, noted that the number of visa-free agreements between Kazakhstan and other countries has a cumulative and long-term effect. He suggested that accumulating visa-free deals could help Kazakhstan negotiate similar agreements with larger, more economically developed nations.
In 2023, Kazakhstan further expanded its list of visa-free countries, including agreements with Bangladesh, Seychelles, San Marino, China, and Vietnam. Moreover, there are ongoing discussions to simplify the European Union’s visa regime for Kazakhstan, which may reduce visa fees, speed up processing, and extend the validity of multiple-entry visas. Recently, representatives of the EU and Kazakhstan held the 21st official meeting, at which both sides confirmed their desire to deepen cooperation and reach an agreement on visa facilitation. In 2023, citizens submitted 159,072 applications for a Schengen visa, which brought Kazakhstan to 20th place in this matter.
This year, the list of visa-free countries has also been replenished with Thailand, Morocco, and Rwanda.
Kazakhstan has also seen a significant rise in inbound tourism. In 2023, the country welcomed 9.2 million foreign tourists, with nearly nine million arriving from visa-free countries, primarily driven by introducing new visa agreements with China, India, and other countries.
For example, after Kazakhstan introduced a mutual visa-free regime with China, visitors from this country increased 20 times from 18,000 in 2022 to 367,000 in 2023. A threefold growth was observed among India’s tourists: from 28,000 people in 2022 to 78,000 this year.